"Best of the best" honored at Salem County Law Enforcement Recognition Awards

Sgt. Fred Parkell of the Salem County Prosecutor's Office accepts the Officer of the Year award at the Salem County Law Enforcement Recognition Awards.

PENNSVILLE TWP. -- In a ceremony rife with singularly outstanding achievements, Sgt. Fred Parkell took the limelight Thursday at the Salem County Law Enforcement Recognition Awards.

Not only did he provide the initial spark in the October homicide investigation of a Salem teen, officials said, obtaining confessions and helping to recover the murder weapon, he did it just days after returning from a broken fibula suffered on the job a month earlier.

He was among about 75 area officers deemed "the best of the best" at the sixth-annual event here, sponsored by the Salem County Police Chiefs Association and the Salem County Prosecutor's Office.

Some of the most infamous crimes of 2008 and the officers who solved them were recalled during a luncheon at the Fraternal Order of Police Old Oak Lodge.

"I'm here today surrounded by the bravest and the best of Salem County law enforcement," said Freeholder Director Lee Ware. "As a longtime baseball coach, I equate this to handing out game balls for a winning performance."

Parkell, an officer with the Salem County Prosecutor's Office, received the James McManus Officer of the Year award for the role he played to bring about arrests in the shooting death of 17-year-old Aneesa Rivera.

Chief of County Detectives Ralph Padilla explained the award is offered only under truly special circumstances. It's named after the first chief of county detectives for the prosecutor's office, who served for 30 years and retired in 1989.

There have only been four such awards given since its inception, Padilla said.
Parkell also received a Wound Award -- the county's version of the Purple Heart -- after struggling with a fugitive in Salem and sustaining a painful fracture. Despite the injury, he still managed to subdue the suspect until assistance arrived, police said.

"The award is new, and clean ... it represents a group of individuals who contributed to it being issued to me," Parkell said. "It represents incidences which are not so shiny and attractive."

Honors ranged from Meritorious Service performed by officers in the line of duty to Civilian of the Year accolades for everyday people who came to the aid of their fellow citizens and communities.

A special Military Award was given to Ptl. Matthew Petrutz of the Carneys Point Police Department for his service with the Army National Guard through Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"As all our police officers do, Patrolman Petrutz risks his life daily to protect the citizens of Carneys Point," said Carneys Point Police Chief Edmund Spinelli Jr. "But what is special about him is that he also risks his life for foreign conflicts."

Salem County Prosecutor John Lenahan pointed out how important it is to take a few hours to listen to some of the remarkable police work unfolding here.

"I know that we get wrapped up in our day-to-day lives. I know we have graduations coming up, baseball games, and you just kind of get bogged down," Lenahan said. "I think it's important to take a step back to kind of see the forest for the trees and recognize the outstanding work that so many people in Salem County do."

2009 Chiefs Association Awards:

James McManus Officer of the Year:
Sgt. Fred Parkell, Salem County Prosecutor's Office